OPEN LETTER TO THE GUARDIAN

The plight of the 10 HDP MPs goaled since early November 2016 by the Turkish government

As a matter of urgency we draw readers’ attention to the plight of the ten Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) MPs gaoled since early November 2016 by the Turkish government. In particular, we call for action by the British government, parliamentarians and democratic bodies over the life-threatening conditions in which the HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas is being held.

All ten MPs are facing terrorism-related charges, although the predominantly Kurdish HDP has consistently called for a peaceful and democratic solution to the Kurdish question in Turkey. The MPs are held in solitary confinement, their right to legal representation is being violated, and lawyers who represent them are harassed and criminalised. Delegations of parliamentarians from Europe and elsewhere, including a delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, who have sought to visit the gaoled MPs have been denied access by the Turkish Ministry of Justice. Anyone in Turkey who criticises President Erdogan is now liable to be arrested, imprisoned and denied previously established safeguards. This is done under the State of Emergency giving Erdogan unrestrained powers.

Selahattin Demirtas has condemned the recent Istanbul bombing and previous bomb attacks in Turkey and yet he is held in a prison bloc occupied by jihadists (ISIS and Al Qaeda) and mafia gangsters. Demirtas was diagnosed with the heart condition variant angina in 2013. During his incarceration Demirtas’ symptoms recurred on 7 December 2016. His doctor reported that Selahattin Demirtas has not received the medical attention required and he has not been given the necessary medication. The doctor concludes, ‘In consideration of the patient’s medical history, the risks such attacks present for his health are life threatening.’ It is essential that Turkey meets its international obligations and the human rights conventions to which it is a signatory and that it allows access to the MPs. Selahattin Demirtas must be given the medical treatment he requires. The HDP MPs must be released to pursue a peaceful settlement of the Kurdish question.

Yours sincerely

Simon Dubbins, UNITE International Director

Doug Nicholls, General Secretary, General Federations of Trade Unions

Mark Thomas, author and journalist

Dr Radha D’Souza, Westminster University

James Kelman, novelist

Dr Thomas Jeffrey Miley, lecturer of political sociology, Cambridge University

Trevor Rayne, Fellow of City University London

Dr. Jessica Northey, Co-International Coordinator of the Green Party of England and Wales

Dr Derek Wall, Co-International Coordinator of the Green Party of England and Wales

EMERGENCY APPEAL FOR AFRIN

Life in Afrin

Weekly News Briefing

Jeremy Corbyn issues statement of support for the National Demo

Message from Jeremy Corbyn to Kurdish national demonstration in London:
“I’m sorry not to be able to be with you today, but I send a message of solidarity with today’s demonstration, and with the Kurdish people, under sustained attack across the Middle East.
The conflict in Syria has been the trigger for an onslaught against the Kurdish people, who are defending their autonomy and their rights.
We are watching closely the alarming events that have been unfolding in Turkey in recent weeks, including the killing of civilians and destruction of Kurdish homes.
Any negotiated settlement of the Syrian conflict must include peace and justice for the Kurds, including in Turkey. And the Turkish government needs as a matter of urgency to restart the peace process with the Kurds and respect the rights of all its people.
We call for an end to repression of the Kurds and justice for the Kurdish people throughout the Middle East.”

Destruction and Repression in North Kurdistan

Freedom for Ocalan!

On the 19th anniversary of his kidnap and imprisonment by Turkey, we renew our call for Abdullah Ocalan to be freed as part of a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question.